What do I need to know about shipping?

Tracmor's tracking and notification capabilities make it easy to stay on top of shipping transactions. This article focuses on setting up shipping transactions and scheduling returns and exchanges for assets and inventory items.

Among the handy tools that can speed things up:

Default settings that pre-populate fields

Email notifications

Ability to ship and receive internally to ensure more complete transaction records than using the move transaction

Easy scheduling for returns and exchanges

Important: Shipping transactions are most easily accomplished if all the information regarding companies, contacts, asset tags, inventory codes, areas, and locations are already in place. For more information on adding information systematically, see the reference list of related articles below.

Note: If the side menus shown below are not visible, click on the square to the left of Global Search at the top of the screen. Clicking on this icon allows you to show and hide the side menu.

Setting default shipping (and receiving) options

Anyone with an admin role can access the basic settings for the areas they have been assigned, including shipping and receiving settings. From the side menu navigate to Admin>General Settings (near the bottom). If you do not see this option, contact your Tracmor account admin for more information.

Scroll down to Shipping/Receiving Settings, where you can choose options that can speed things up by pre-populating certain fields. For instance, if some of your shipping and receiving transactions originate in one place, or involve only one contact, and/or originate from one shipping address name, select that information from the dropdown menus.

Dropdown menu choices apply to these options (shipping options are in red):

Default Shipping Company

Default Shipping Contact

Default Shipping Address Name

Default Receiving Company

Default Receiving Contact

Default Receiving Address Name

These options are enabled by clicking the check box next to the selected item(s)

Receive to Last Location.

Custom Shipment Numbers.Enable this option to create custom shipment numbers; if you leave this check box blank, Tracmor will auto-generate a sequential shipment number for every shipment that is scheduled. If you check this box, you will have to enter a custom shipment number when setting up a shipment. (The shipment number tracks all information such as sender, receiver, packing list, ship date, and notes.)

Custom Receipt Numbers. Enable this option if you wish to create custom receipt numbers. If you do not enable this, Tracmor will auto-generate a sequential receipt number for every receipt that is scheduled.

This option enables you to add text to your packing list:

Packing List Terms. Enter any text that you want to appear on every packing list, such as your return policy.

When you have made all your selections, be sure to click on Save to activate them.

Finding the menu options

There are two ways to access shipping options. This article focuses on accessing options from the top menu option; simply click on Shipping:

Note: You can access the same options by clicking on Shipping on the side menu:

Scheduling a shipment

When you click on Shipping on the top menu, you arrive at the Shipments page, which provides access to all shipping options, as described in detail below.

To schedule a new shipment, click on the (blue) plus icon in the upper right hand corner:

Ideally, all the information needed has already been added beforehand so that you can choose information from dropdown menus; if that is the case, options will appear when you place the cursor in the field and type one or more characters. You can also click on any (blue) plus icon to add information as you go.

Each type of required information is described in the next four sections.

Sender and Recipient

Sender Information. Company and contact is required; this can be set up as a default set of information to save time.

Recipient Information. Company, Contact, and Address Name is required. (The address name is whatever you specified for that contact, such as headquarters, warehouse, garage, etc.). The full address that will appear on the packing list is shown.

Shipment Information

Note: If an admin set the Shipping Number option to Custom Shipping Number, a required field for shipping number will also show in this section. Otherwise, Tracmor assigns a sequential number.

Choose a shipping courier from the drop down menu. If you need to add a shipping courier, see Adding a courier.

Adding the tracking number the courier provides is optional.

Adding a Note is optional.

If you click on yes for Email Notification, add one or more email address(es).

The Other Information section only appears if you have added custom fields. In this example, a dropdown menu to select if the shipment includes perishable items was created beforehand. For more information, see What do I need to know about custom fields?

Selecting asset(s) for shipment

Enter the Asset Tag(s) for the item(s) to be shipped and then click the (light blue) plus icon.

Tip: Use the search function to locate a set of asset tags and add them all at once:

Click on the (purple) search icon to arrive at the Asset Search page. From here you can search by all the listed criteria, including the advanced search options that include custom fields such as the one circled in red. (To show the advanced search options, click on the carat symbol to the right of Advanced Search). Select the search criteria and then click on Apply Filter.

Once the assets are listed, you can refine the list:

Delete assets by clicking on the (red) trash icon

Add an asset by typing in another asset tag number and clicking on the (light blue) plus icon

Scheduling a return or exchange

To schedule a return or exchange, click on Advanced.

From the Advanced Setting dialog box, choose Schedule for Return, or Schedule for Exchange.

Enter a Due Date from the dropdown calendar:

Selecting inventory for shipment

Note: You can only add one inventory code at a time (unlike assets, which can be selected as a group using a filtered list).

First select the item's Inventory Code from the dowpdown menu, or, conduct a search from the Inventory Search page by clicking on the (purple) search icon.

From here you can search by all the criteria shown below, and any advanced search options such as any custom fields you have added. (To show the advanced search options, click on the carat symbol to the right of Advanced Search).

Once you have entered the search criteria, click on Apply Filter.

Enter or select the Inventory Code, then select the Area Name and Location Name associated with that Inventory Code from the dropdown menus. Finally, enter a quantity; if fewer items are available than the number you entered, a message will let you know how many items are available.

Once all four specifying details are in place, click on the (light blue) plus icon to enter each inventory item into a list, such as the one shown by the area outlined in red below.

Once inventory items are listed, you can refine the list:

Delete inventory by clicking on the (red) trash icon

Add another inventory item by specifying another set of details and clicking on the (light blue) plus icon

To print out the packing list, click on Print in the upper right hand corner.

Editing shipment information

To edit shipment information:

Click on Shipping on the top menu.

Scroll down to the Shipment List (or conduct a search).

Click on the Shipment Number of interest.

Scroll down to the menu shown below and click on Edit. In effect, all the options that were available when the shipment was created will be available.

Once editing is complete, click on Save. (If no edits are necessary, click on Cancel.)

Completing the shipment

To complete a shipment:

Click on Shipping on the top menu.

Scroll down to the Shipment List (or conduct a search).

Click on the Shipment Number of interest.

Scroll down to the menu shown below and click on Complete Shipment.

Note: The shipment can also be deleted by clicking on Delete Shipment.

Shipment status is always visible in the Shipment List view. The status of items that have been shipped are displayed in green, whereas items that are overdue are shown in red. No color coding appears until the item is nearing shipment date.

Adding attachments

You can upload an unlimited number of attachments to make all associated documentation available to other users.

To arrive at the Shipping page, click on Shipping on the top menu. Scroll down to the Shipments List, and then click on the Shipment Number of interest. On any particular shipment, your options at the bottom include the following five options. To add an attachment, click on Attachments.

From here, click on Choose File, navigate to the file you want to upload, click on it so that the file name shows [instead of No file chosen]. Click on Submit to upload the file.

Adding a courier

If you need to select a courier that is not yet available from the dropdown menu, add a new courier by navigating to Admin>Couriers on the side menu.

From the Courier List page, click on the (blue) plus icon in the upper right hand corner to arrive at the Create Courier dialog box. Here you can enter the new courier name, select a parent courier, and enable this name for selection in the shipping menu.

Click on Save once you have entered the new information.

Exporting shipment information

If you need a list of shipment numbers and their status, click on Shipping on the top menu, and then click on the Export Shipments icon:

Tracmor will download an Excel file with your Shipment Number, Ship Date, and Status of each:

Printing shipment number labels

If you need to print bar code labels with the Shipment Numbers, click on Shipping on the top menu, then select the shipment numbers you would like to print by clicking on the check box to the left of each item.

Tip: Create a filtered list using the search function, then on the check box at the top of the column to select all items in the filtered list.

Click on the Print Labels icon:

From the Print Labels dialog box, select the Label Stock and the Label Offset, then click on Print.

Tracmor will send a file to print according to your print settings, but in order to receive it, your popup blocker must be set to allow Tracmor. If the label doesn't print, check your pop-up blocker settings.

Adding custom fields

Important: If you do not have admin permissions, you will not be able to add custom fields or carry out the following steps.

Navigate to Settings>Module Field List Settings (side menu, near the bottom).

Of the 10 modules that you can add custom fields to, click on Add Custom Field for Shipping.